J.L. Treharn and Company has closed its doors

I got a phone call this morning at 8:30 a.m. from a very sad and upset Sherry Treharn, they are closing effective today. Not enough orders to stay afloat, they had no other choice. I am their oldest dealer, we go back 30 years to 1986 when they first started. I've been steadfast in selling their product and they are genuinely nice people, who always did the right thing for their customers. Even today I have close to (30) pieces on my floor and now its time to close them all out. The market changed for their style of furniture and they failed to change with it. Many customers today want transitional style which they did not have. Add to that the price pressure from imports - many wood products coming out of Vietnam are pretty well made - and another American small business bites the dust.

Big companies get bailed out. Little ones just die. Its not quite as bad as going to a funeral, but its a sad affair to hear the tears come through the phone, all the hopes dashed.

There was a time when I used to sell 2,000 handcrafted USA-made windsor chairs a year. No one in the country sold more than we did. Last year I think I sold one set of 6. Two at the most. I saw the handwriting on the wall for the 18th Century Reproductions around 2005, and transitioned into leather upholstery as a primary line. That look will eventually come back in style, but likely it will be 2176, the American Tricentennial, and that's sixty years from now. All styles are cyclic and come and go over time.

If you have wanted a Treharn piece, yet were putting it off - now is the time to get one from whatever dealer stock you can find. They have a few pieces left at their workshop, but its a pretty small group. I wish the Treharn family well on their next endeavor. They have been a good supplier and my friends.

That really is terrible. The dining table and chairs they made for us are some of my favorite pieces. They did great work and will be missed. Just a very depressing day.

That's unfortunate but looking at the pieces shown on their website illustrates why. First of all, there isn't much of a market anymore for the styles they produce and even their 'Treharn Today' line isn't very current. What I see is well-made furniture that needs better design. Perhaps they needed someone to help them get the proportions right, as well as the wood selections and stains right. For example, Tiger Maple is an interesting wood but I personally would have used it more sparingly. It has a very bold grain so having an entire piece in that wood is, to my sensibilities, like a person wearing striped pants with a striped shirt and tie; it's too much. I also see issues with proportion on pieces like the SDC402 (Six Drawer Tall Chest) where the top appears to be too small to provide the appropriate balance of proportion with the bottom. That's just one example. To my eyes there are many pieces that just aren't proportioned correctly where legs are too thin or other such design errors are present.

I know nothing about this company but I wonder if perhaps they aren't outstanding craftsmen in need of a design department, or maybe just a better one. Instead of going out of business, I'd hire a recent design school graduate and get their take on how to make the pieces more appealing.

Sad to hear. I agree they did not keep up with changing styles very well, but they were always known for making good solid furniture. I am sorry they did not/could not adapt and are closing.

I have to respectively disagree concerning Treharn 's use of Tiger Maple and their finish selection.

I have a set of all tiger maple kitchen chairs and when they were delivered, I could not believe how good they looked when compared to the website photos. Under the right lighting conditions and in front of walls with a Tuscany plaster finish, my Treharn's chairs appear to glow and shimmer in a manner similar to a tiger eye gemstone. Obviously, this is an optical illusion created in part by the combination of wood selection, craftsmanship, and the color and depth of the finish.

The problem with photographs on most websites is they do not reproduce images in the same manner as the human eye sees. I have always wondered if there are techniques similar to high dynamic resolution imagining that would capture the beauty of tiger maple furniture.

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Originally Posted by Kevin

I have to respectively disagree concerning Treharn 's use of Tiger Maple and their finish selection.

I have a set of all tiger maple kitchen chairs and when they were delivered, I could not believe how good they looked when compared to the website photos. Under the right lighting conditions and in front of walls with a Tuscany plaster finish, my Treharn's chairs appear to glow and shimmer in a manner similar to a tiger eye gemstone. Obviously, this is an optical illusion created in part by the combination of wood selection, craftsmanship, and the color and depth of the finish.

The problem with photographs on most websites is they do not reproduce images in the same manner as the human eye sees. I have always wondered if there are techniques similar to high dynamic resolution imagining that would capture the beauty of tiger maple furniture.

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Kevin,

I don't disagree with you. I found images of your chairs (first link below) and they are very attractive. I would be very pleased with those too. They are beautiful and don't in any way look like too much. However, looking at images on Treharn's website, some of the pieces do look like they could benefit from a bit more subtlety; the second link would be an example of that to me.

Perhaps it is merely the photography though. As I said, I have no knowledge of the company and have never seen their work.

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...n-Bella-Chairs

https://jltreharn.oursafeserver.com/...et-4009-sc-15/

They had really poor photos and website at JL Treharn, they have always operated on a shoestring budget and perhaps didn't grasp how important good photography is to show their products. They look FAR better in person.

Treharn was the last holdout for reasonably-priced handcrafted furniture of its nature. Most the shops doing that were crushed by the Recession and the few that survived have been in the Intensive Care Unit since 2008. But its really a simple matter of not building what the customer wants. What folks wanted in 1986 is not what they want thirty years later. I send them several ideas (always have) and most recently wanted to see if they would get into gray-stained tiger maple with Oak primary woods in Coffee color. Would make for a very unique look. Send them samples of what I had in mind but they never responded.

For my existing customers that like that look, I will continue to build custom through John Buchanan, who as you know does excellent work - at a higher level than even Treharn. However, he's a one-man operation and is slow, and there are certain things he prefers not to build such as Chippendale Chairs / QA Chairs (far more complex and costly than most people realize) and large case pieces he cannot handle by himself.

I'm going to close out my remaining Treharn stock at 20 % off. FOB Alexandria VA. The two sets of Windsor chairs I have (4 sides / 2 arms) will be sold as a set of six only.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

They had really poor photos and website at JL Treharn, they have always operated on a shoestring budget and perhaps didn't grasp how important good photography is to show their products. They look FAR better in person.

Treharn was the last holdout for reasonably-priced handcrafted furniture of its nature. Most the shops doing that were crushed by the Recession and the few that survived have been in the Intensive Care Unit since 2008. But its really a simple matter of not building what the customer wants. What folks wanted in 1986 is not what they want thirty years later. I send them several ideas (always have) and most recently wanted to see if they would get into gray-stained tiger maple with Oak primary woods in Coffee color. Would make for a very unique look. Send them samples of what I had in mind but they never responded.

For my existing customers that like that look, I will continue to build custom through John Buchanan, who as you know does excellent work - at a higher level than even Treharn. However, he's a one-man operation and is slow, and there are certain things he prefers not to build such as Chippendale Chairs / QA Chairs (far more complex and costly than most people realize) and large case pieces he cannot handle by himself.

I'm going to close out my remaining Treharn stock at 20 % off. FOB Alexandria VA. The two sets of Windsor chairs I have (4 sides / 2 arms) will be sold as a set of six only.

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I would say that's exactly what they needed to do. Updated looks with coffee stains and the grey aged wood stains would've vastly widened their appeal. Obviously craftsmanship wasn't an issue and their prices weren't out-of-line for the quality but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how well made things are, if they don't appeal to modern tastes, a company will find few takers. Just at this website alone, there are frequently comments that say "I like the look of Restoration Hardware but I'm looking for something of better quality that is Made in USA". Treharn already had the latter half of that comment covered. They had USA-made and quality but they needed to adapt to the market on the style end.

I said earlier that they needed a better design staff and I would add a better website with improved photography. I suspect they didn't think they could afford those things but the sad fact is they couldn't afford to not have those things.

Well, Duane, I am sad they are closing shop. Their pieces are very beautiful and nicely made. Whatever the reason, it's just sad to lose a company that made quality pieces.

TXCajun

Sad to hear J.L. Treharn is closing it's door, I know they were well regarded by a lot of people on this forum. As for their website photos - I was amazed how much better the photos posted by Duane and others who purchased Treharn pieces looked on this forum, it was night and day sometimes and the pics here really showed off the woods and craftsmanship.

Yes, having decent photos is really key to selling any product that can't be seen in person. I was after them for years to upgrade their photos but they never did.

Very sad news. My house is furnished largely with Treharn furniture that I purchased from the Keeping Room. Every time guests come over they comment on the furniture. They may not have changed with the times but sadly I think there are many people who spend a lot of money at places like Restoration Hardware on quality challenged furniture as opposed to buying furniture from a company like Treharn or, even better, a builder like John Buchanan. I bought a Buchanan table from the KR several years ago and I think on a 2216 version of the Antiques Roadshow, furniture from a Buchanan, or even Treharn, is more likely to be featured. The Restoration Hardware stuff will be in a landfill by then.

Very true. All furniture forms and styles are cyclic, and run into periods where they are the certain thing to have. Many repeat, such as right now Arts and Crafts are big as is Transitional. You see it in the new homes being built and in all the decor magazines. That will burn out and a new style come in to replace it.

Typically the American Country look / Antiques are out of favor with the mainstream, which means its an excellent time to buy into this category (especially if you are young). When the look comes roaring back - and it will - a small fortune will be made by those clever enough to have bought American Period Antiques in a down market, because as they say "They ain't makin' them any more". My prediction? The Tri-Centennial when the Country turns 300 years old in 2076. Now, I won't be here to see that in 60 years, but that's my estimate when it will once again be the in-demand look and it will last about ten to fifteen years as a Revival look.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

Very true. All furniture forms and styles are cyclic, and run into periods where they are the certain thing to have. Many repeat, such as right now Arts and Crafts are big as is Transitional. You see it in the new homes being built and in all the decor magazines. That will burn out and a new style come in to replace it.

Typically the American Country look / Antiques are out of favor with the mainstream, which means its an excellent time to buy into this category (especially if you are young). When the look comes roaring back - and it will - a small fortune will be made by those clever enough to have bought American Period Antiques in a down market, because as they say "They ain't makin' them any more". My prediction? The Tri-Centennial when the Country turns 300 years old in 2076. Now, I won't be here to see that in 60 years, but that's my estimate when it will once again be the in-demand look and it will last about ten to fifteen years as a Revival look.

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So to go in a bit different direction, what styles do you see that avoid falling out of favor and are mainstays?

I have no idea! I don't get out much...lol

Usually, whatever you see in the better design magazines is the trend.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

I have no idea! I don't get out much...lol

Usually, whatever you see in the better design magazines is the trend.

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Ha! What I meant what are the designs that stand the test of time? I know they say for mens fashion and style the business look from the 1950s seems to always be relevant.

I think there are classics that will always have a basic form factor that will stand the test of time, like a Penny Loafer. What comes to mind is a combination of good, practical utility design and functionality of the piece. Items such as your basic four drawer chest, or a double pedestal dining table.

Case in point. Here's Century Furniture's hottest selling dining Room Table. It's an Oak Trestle Table that is designed by Thomas O'Brien (I have this on my showroom floor) and a modern interpretation of the a knock-down Trestle Table:

Attachment 9372

And here's a 300-year-old original:

Attachment 9374

As you can see, the "new" unit is a stylized version of that time-tested centuries-old design. It worked well in the 1700's and it still works well today. There are many pieces like that, and by tweaking a design element here or there, changing colors and textures, they get re-invented.

Every time I search the web for anything having to do with furniture, this site comes up! Love it. This morning I was searching for my dining table made by Treharn and found that they've gone out of business. I've had this Springfield table since late 80's and have dragged it around with me to 8 different homes. It's just the right size for small dining or foyer or even a desk! I've modified my decorating style several times over the years and this table seems to look great with what ever I do in design. Yes...I'm a bit of an "oldster" but think young.

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